In a study that gives astronomers new insights into how
planets form, research led by the University of Michigan has enabled a
dramatically more precise measurement of the amount of dust and gas in the
planet-forming disk around a young star.
The findings speak, in a way, to a fundamental question:
"Why are we here?"
"If you want to understand the origin of planets—that
is, terrestrial worlds like Earth with abundant water and life and gas-rich
worlds such as Jupiter—you have to understand how planets are born and what
outcomes are possible under any circumstances," said Edwin Bergin, U-M
professor of astronomy and lead author of a paper on the research published in
the current issue of Nature. "And the mass of the protoplanetary disk is a
fundamental quantity you have to have in order to understand planetary
birth."